Chips Off the Old Block: Bloomingly Awesome Cooler Weather!

 Yeah, sorry Grace. Weather here this summer has been in my estimation, nothing short of 'awesome' as we've not had a day over 30 since, well to be honest I don't know if we've seen one yet this Summer. There was a huge hoopla made over the fact that there wasn't a single one in the month of July. I do not have many 'supporters' but have to say that from the looks of it, my 'kids' are more than happy with the cooler climate. So many things in bloom right now! 

The only remotely climbing species of Clematis here at Teza's Garden is the superbly elegant Clematis 'Mrs Harvey' whose flowers remind me of the swirling skirt of a flamenco dancer. Although not an integrifolia, her stems are decidedly more herbaceous, similar to those that are my true favourites. I've never had so many blooms on 'Pinky Winky' Hydrangea as I have this year! Of course, his chlorotic golden foliage does create a stir against his two toned pink and white flowers later in September! Perhaps this is why I haven't moved him from what is the dampest section of my property. Or maybe its because I tell people he is a 'special' golden form of PW! No. Just kidding!
  

 Although his foliage is indeed similar to Clematis heracleifolia, the ram shaped flower below is actually Strobilanthes attenuata 'Purpurea' which, like so many of my plants, is larger and taller this year than ever before, meaning that I hope to experience a bumper crop of his unique flowers!

 Thalictrum is one of my go to garden stalwarts, and I especially love the taller species that include T.delavayi 'Splendide' and T.chelidonii which is pictured in the photo above. So many have flowers that are actually little more than a burst of stamens, whereas these delicate beauties all have sepals as well. The snob coming out in me.

Cassia marilandica is native to marshy areas of North America. I adore its fabulous foliage which easily identifies it as being a member of the legume family. It looks especially good next to the Baptisia that is its neighbour. Though not a fan of yellow, I do look forward to its spidery looking flowers in August!

Grace, you were wondering if a pic on my FB was the same Clematis heracleifolia that you recently purchased. Sadly no. Mine is nowhere near to flowering although there are multiple clusters of stunning deep purple-blue tightly budded flowers. The one in the photo below is a close relation - Clematis tubulosa 'Wyevale' is another of the late season blooming species that tend to be herbaceous y nature. None of them have the overblown gaudy flowers that their climbing relations do [and yes, I have single-handedly offended half of the readers of my blog! So sorry! More evidence of my snobbism coming through!]

 A few commoners have escaped my more eclectic taste. I adore the silver blue spiky flower heads of Echinops batannicus, also known as the globe thistle. Not a fan of his coarse, well, thistle like foliage, but the flowers are bee magnets and thus his grace factor is revealed. 

'My darlings, my darlings, how much longer do I have to wait?' When the Anemonopsis macrophylla buds begin to turn plum colour, it is only a matter of days before they open. This coloration is actually on the reverse of its sepals, giving it a magical appearance when the opened flowers dance on the wind.  

 The light blue, twisted petals in the photo above are yet another species of Gentiana that resides here. G.makinoi 'Blue Magic' is apparently a chance seedling that fits in rather nicely with my collection. His flowers do not open completely, rather, they remain slightly twisted, as if waiting for the perfect time to reveal their inner beauty. My personal favourite is pictured below. I find myself hypnotized by their beauty. [G.septemfida 'Lagodochiana Select]

Thalictrum delavayi 'Splendide' was sold to me as a 'dwarf' selection. Three meters later, he is a signature player in the late summer garden. A neighbour three doors down waits patiently for him to reach his statuesque height and then she comes and measures herself against it. This is precisely why I love gardening! And yes, even though I learned many years ago that he was going to be the tallest plant in that particular border, he remains at the very front for that specific reason. 

Not sure if your Kirengeshoma is the same as this one Joy - as there are two different species. I am confident that this is K.koreana for three reasons: it is much earlier to bloom than its cousin K.palmata; its flowers are decidedly more upward facing; its foliage has a decidedly heavy silver patina to it in the Spring. It is also much taller - mine is close to 2m this year thanks to the consistent cool, damp conditions it receives in the border between the two houses. Pretty much partial shade all day long. A true vampire, just like Dad! My K.palmata has swollen buds that are still weeks away from opening!

And last but not least - although it is grown more for its magnificent deeply pleated, Hosta like foliage, Veratrum nigrum does, on rare occasion reward you with magnificently tall flower wands covered in tiny, star shaped deep wine flowers. I must remember to collect seed from this one, as most gardeners grow the one with the greenish-white flowers, V.californicum.